Shoe polishing stand

ABSTRACT

A shoe polishing stand provides a shoe holder mounted on a ridge member attached to front and rear legs. The shoe holder includes a clamp assembly biased by a spring to create a downward force and a shoe plate, both attached to the ridge member, so a shoe resting on the shoe plate is held in fixed position by the clamp assembly at a convenient height for polishing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a shoe polishing stand and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a stand which holds a shoe to be shined by a person sitting in a chair or on a stool. The shoe polishing stand of the present invention includes a collapsible pouch for storing shoe polish, brushes, buffing cloths (sometimes also referred to herein as polishing cloths), and other shoe polishing supplies. For convenience only, reference will be made herein to shoe polishers as being of the male gender. It will be understood that the shoe polishing stand of the present invention is equally useful to anyone, whether male or female, wishing to shine shoes.

2. Discussion

Personal shoe polishing kits are known in the art. One type of personal shoe polishing kit resembles a shaving kit and merely provides a case for storing shoe polishing supplies. Another type of personal shoe polishing kit includes a box, usually of wood, for storing shoe polishing supplies and a foot plate attached to the box. To use the foot plate, the polisher must leave his shoe on his foot. After applying polish to the shoe, the polisher places the polisher's shoe, still attached to the polisher's foot, on the foot plate and bends forward to use the brush and buffing cloth. The polisher applies force, through the polisher's leg and foot, to maintain the shoe in position on the foot plate attached to the box.

Commercial shoe shine stands utilize one or more foot plates attached to an elevated stand. A customer desiring a shoe shine climbs onto the elevated stand and places his shoe-clad feet on the foot plates. The customer applies force, through the customer's leg and foot, to maintain the shoe in position on the foot plate while the commercial shoe polisher applies shoe polish to the shoe and then utilizes a brush and/or buffing cloth to produce a shine. The commercial shoe polisher enjoys the convenience and leverage resulting from the elevation of the customer's shoe to a convenient working height while the customer applies force to keep the shoe firmly in position on the foot plate.

Until now, the home shoe polisher was unable to obtain the benefits normally available only to a commercial shoe polisher using a commercial shoe shine stand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Applicant's invention provides a sturdy shoe polishing stand for cleaning and polishing shoes. A clamping assembly holds the shoe firmly in position on a foot plate at a convenient working height for the shoe polisher, and an attached collapsible pouch provides accessible storage for shoe polishing materials. The shoe polishing stand of the present invention folds for easy storage in a closet or under a bed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view, in partial cross section, of a clamping assembly and a shoe plate assembly according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, with clamping assembly removed, of the shoe plate assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is another view of the shoe plate assembly of FIG. 1, in partial cross section, showing movement of the foot plate between a use position and a storage position.

FIG. 4 is another view of the shoe polishing stand of FIG. 1, in partial cross section, showing folding of the shoe clamp for storage.

FIG. 5 is a rear view, with end portions of the ridge member cut away, showing, of the upper portion of the shoe polishing stand shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant's invention wherein the device shown in FIG. 1 is supported by two front legs attached to a folding rear leg.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the shoe polishing stand shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 9 is still another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant's invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the shoe polishing stand shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of the shoe polishing stand shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 12 is another embodiment of a shoe polishing stand according to applicant's invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, applicant's shoe polishing stand includes a shoe plate assembly 52 attached to a folding stand 54 (see FIGS. 6-7). The shoe polishing stand 50 is formed by a ridge member 56, front legs 58, 60, and a fold-out rear leg 62. The rear leg 62 pivots on a pin 64 recessed within the ridge member 56 (see FIGS. 6-7).

Referring now to FIG. 1, the shoe holder 52 is attached to the ridge member 56. The shoe holder 52 is formed by a shoe plate assembly 66 working in cooperation with a clamp assembly 68. The shoe plate assembly 66 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the clamp assembly 68 is shown in a use position wherein a force is exerted by the clamp assembly 68 along A to hold the shoe S against a split foot plate 70. The split foot plate 70 is elevated above the ridge member 56 by support members 72 attached to a foot plate base member 74 (see FIG. 2). The foot plate base member 74 has two rearwardly extending arms 76, 78 attached to hinge members 82. The hinge members 82 are secured to the rear 84 of the ridge member 56 by fasteners 86.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the shoe plate assembly 66 is shown in a use position. The foot plate base member 74 rests against the top 88 of the ridge member 56.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the split foot plate 70, the support members 72, and the foot plate base member 74 (see FIG. 3) move along B between a use position, as indicated in FIG. 2, and a storage position, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3 (see also FIG. 4).

Referring now to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIGS. 4-7, the clamp assembly 68 consists of a clamp assembly base 90, a lower clamping member 92, and an extended clamping member 94. A spring 96 biases the lower clamping member 92 and the extended clamping member 94 to produce a force along A. The upper end 98 of the lower clamping member 92 terminates in a fork 100. The fork 100 receives a mating portion 102 formed on the upper end 104 of the extended clamping member 94. A shoulder 106 adjacent the fork 100 in the lower clamping member 92 prevents counterclockwise rotation of the extended clamping member 94 within the fork 100 of the lower clamping member 92 beyond the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 7.

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5-7, a shoe insert assembly 108 is pivotally attached to the extending clamping member 94. The extending clamping member 94 terminates in an elongated fork 110. The shoe insert assembly 108 is formed by an L-shaped heel member 112 having a short side 114 having an end 116 and a long side 118 having a mid-portion 120 and a threaded female end portion 121 distal from the short side 114. The end 116 of the short side 114 of the L-shaped heel member 112 is pressed downwardly against the heel H of the shoe S along A by the force exerted on the extended clamping member 94 by the biasing spring 96.

Still referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5-7, wherein the clamping assembly 68 and the shoe insert assembly 108 are shown in the use position, a split toe member 122 is pivotally attached to a toe connecting member 124 having a front end 126 and a back end 128 (see FIG. 4). The toe connecting member 124 is attached at the front end 126 to a pin 130 extending between the two sections of the split toe member 122. The pin 130 also functions as a shaft on which the toe connecting member 124 pivots. The back end 128 of the toe connecting member 124 terminates in a threaded female connector 132. A threaded rod 134 connects the threaded female connector 132 to the threaded female end portion 121 attached to the long side 118 of the L-shaped heel member 112.

Still referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5-7, a front transverse bore 136, a middle transverse bore 138, and a rear transverse bore 140 in the mid-portion 120 of the L-shaped heel member 112 permit selective attachment of the shoe insert assembly 108 to the elongated fork 110 of the extended clamping member 94 by a removable transverse pin 142. The positioning of the transverse bore (136,138,140) to which the extended clamping member 94 is attached, together with adjustment of the threaded adjusting rod 134, permits adjustment of the length of the shoe insert assembly 108 to conform to the size of the shoe S.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, a recess 150 receives the end 152 of the clamping assembly base member 90. A plate 154 (see FIG. 4) attached to the clamping assembly base member 90 has four bores 156 which receive clamping assembly base member attachment screws 158. The clamping assembly base member attachment screws 158 mate with ridge member threaded bores 160 to secure the clamping assembly base member 90, and hence the entire clamping assembly 68, to the ridge member 56.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-7, in operation the shoe polisher moves the lower clamping member 92 and the extended clamping member 94 of the clamping assembly 68 slightly upwards against the biasing spring 96 to insert the shoe S on the split foot plate 70. The polisher then inserts the shoe insert assembly 108 into the shoe S so the split toe member 122 extends toward the front of the shoe S and the end 116 of the L-shaped heel member 112 rests against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S If the overall length of the shoe insert assembly 108 is too long or too short, the shoe polisher can adjust the length of the shoe insert assembly by selectively positioning the extended clamping member 94 in one of the transverse bores 136,138,140 in the mid-portion 120 of the L-shaped heel member 112. The polisher can adjust the length of the shoe insert assembly 108 more finely by moving the split toe member 122 in (i.e., to shorten the shoe insert assembly 108) or out (i.e., to lengthen the shoe insert assembly 108) on the threaded adjusting rod 134. With the shoe S held firmly in place against the split foot plate 70, the polisher can proceed to polish the shoe S in the same way a commercial shoe polisher shines shoes.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-7, and more particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, the split foot plate 70 is rotated backward along B until the foot split plate 70 is hanging along the rear 84 of the ridge member 56 of the shoe polishing stand 50 of the present invention. With the split foot plate 70 out of the way, the lower clamping member 92 and the extended clamping member 94 are spring biased by the spring 96 toward the front of the ridge member 56 as shown in FIG. 4. The L-shaped heel member 112 of the shoe insert assembly 108 rotates through the elongated fork 110 of the extending clamping member 94, the split toe member 122 comes to rest against the extended clamping member 96, and the lower clamping member 92 comes to rest against the top 88 of the ridge member 56.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 6, and 10-13 a storage compartment 170 for storing shoe polishing equipment such as brushes B, shoe polish P, and buffing cloths (not shown) is attached to the ridge member 56. The storage compartment 170 is in the shape of a collapsible pouch having a bottom 172 and ends 174 (see FIG. 13). As shown more clearly in FIGS. 10-13, a dowel 176 inserted through a sleeve 178 secures one side of the storage compartment 170 to one side (preferably, the front) of the ridge member 56 (see FIG. 12). A second dowel 180 inserted through a second sleeve 182 secures the other side of the storage compartment 170 to the other side (preferably, the back) of the ridge member 56 or, in the alternative, to folding rear legs 184 (see FIG. 11). In the storage position, the ends 186 of the second dowel 180 are supported by notches 188 in the ridge member 56. In the use position, the ends 186 of the second dowel 180 are supported by lower notches 190 in the folding rear legs 184.

It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the storage compartment 170 of applicant's shoe polishing stand 50 collapses for compact storage and opens for use by the shoe polisher. It will be further understood that the use of dowels for attachment to the ridge member 56 and rear legs 58, 62 (see FIG. 6) or rear legs 84 (see FIGS. 10-13) provides adaptability of the storage compartment 170 to a variety of configurations.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-11, and to FIG. 8 in particular, shown therein is another clamping assembly 200 for holding the shoe S against a foot plate 202. A vertical member 204 has a base 206 which is received within a recess 208 in the ridge member 56 and an upper end portion 210. A horizontal arm 212 has a transverse bore 214 on one end and a parallel threaded bore 216 on the other end. The transverse bore 214 receives the upper end portion 210 of the vertical member 204. The horizontal arm 212 slides along C to achieve proper elevation with respect to the foot plate 202. A thumb screw 218 locks the horizontal arm 212 in proper position on the vertical member 204.

Still referring to FIG. 8, a threaded member 220 having a thumb adjustment 222 at the top and a flexible wide foot 224 at the bottom extends through the threaded bore 216 in the horizontal arm 212. The recess 208 is offset with respect to the alignment of the foot plate 202 so that the horizontal arm 212 is positioned on the vertical member 204 so the flexible wide foot 224 is pressed snugly against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S. Then, as the polisher tightens the thumb adjustment 222 attached to the threaded member 220, the clamping assembly 200 is placed in a bind, thereby securing the shoe S against the foot plate 202.

Still referring to FIGS. 8-11, the foot plate 202 shown therein is a split foot plate similar to the split foot plate 70 shown in FIGS. 1-7. In FIGS. 8-11, however, the foot plate 202 is supported by supports 226. Each support 226 terminates at its lower end in a base member 228 received by a recess 230 in the top 88 of the ridge member 56.

Referring now to FIG. 9, shown therein is another clamping assembly 250 according to the present invention. A C-shaped vertical member 252 is pivotally attached to a base member 254. The other end of the C-shaped vertical member 252 is connected to a flexible wide foot 256 which rests against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S. A spring 258 biases the C-shaped vertical member 252 so the flexible wide foot 256 applies a force against the inner heel portion H of the shoe S along A.

Referring again to FIGS. 8-11, the ridge member 56 shown therein is integrally attached to front legs 270. In FIGS. 8 and 11, the rear legs 184 fold within the front legs 270. Bracket assemblies 272 (one on each end) connect the front legs 270 to the rear legs 184. Each bracket assembly 272 is formed from two pivotally attached members 274. One end of each pivotally attached member 274 is connected to a common pivot pin 276. The other ends of the pivotally attached members 274 are attached to the front legs 270 and the rear legs 184, respectively, by additional pivot members 278.

Referring now to FIG. 9, two bracket assemblies 272 (one on each end) connect the front legs 270 to rear legs 280. The rear legs 280 pivot on rear leg pivots 282 (only one shown) and the bracket collapses to permit the rear legs 280 to fold inside the front legs 270.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, another shoe polishing stand 300 according to applicant's invention includes a foot plate 302 attached to the ridge member 56. The foot plate 302 includes a support 304 and a base member 306 received in a recess 308 in the ridge member 56.

The foregoing specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

1. A shoe polishing stand for use by a shoe polisher, said shoe polishing stand comprising: a shoe holder; and elevating means for elevating the shoe holder to a suitable working height.
 2. The shoe polishing stand of claim 1, wherein said shoe holder further comprises: support means for supporting the shoe; and clamp means for clamping the shoe in a fixed position during the polishing process.
 3. The shoe polishing stand of claim 1, wherein said elevating means further comprises: two front legs; at least one rear leg; and a ridge member attached to said front legs and said rear leg; support attachment means for attaching said support means to said ridge member; and clamp attachment means for attaching said clamp means attached to said ridge member, so that the shoe is clamped in fixed position at a height suitable for polishing by a shoe polisher sitting in a chair or on a stool.
 4. The shoe polishing stand of claim 2, wherein said support means for supporting the shoe further comprises: a shoe plate base attached to said ridge member; at least one foot plate support attached to said shoe plate base, said foot plate support extending upwardly and outwardly from said ridge member; and a foot plate attached to foot plate support, so that the shoe rests on said foot plate and is held in place by said clamp means.
 5. The shoe polishing stand of claim 2, wherein said support means further comprises: a split foot plate having two portions, said portions cooperating to form a support for the shoe; a foot plate support for each portion of said foot plate, wherein each said foot plate support is attached to a common foot plate base member; and attachment means for attaching said foot plate base member to said ridge member.
 6. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein said ridge member is characterized as having a front, a top, and a back, wherein said common foot plate base member is hingedly attached to a hinge member, and wherein said hinge member is attached to said back of said ridge member, so that said common foot plate base member moves on said hinge member between a use position and a storage position, wherein said common foot plate base member rests on said top of said ridge member and said split foot plate supports the shoe in said use position, and wherein said common foot plate moves across said hinge member attached to said back of said ridge member so that said split foot plate hangs generally downwardly from said back of said ridge member in said storage position.
 7. The shoe polishing stand of claim 3, wherein said elevating means further comprises: two rear legs, each said rear leg being pivotally mounted on a pivot pin attached to said ridge member, so that said rear legs move between a use position wherein said rear legs are deployed back and away from said front legs and a storage position wherein said rear legs are folded against said front legs.
 8. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein the shoe is characterized as having an inner heel portion and a toe portion, and wherein said clamp means for clamping the shoe in a fixed position further comprises: a clamp assembly base attached to said ridge member; a lower clamping member pivotally attached to said clamp assembly base; an extended clamping member attached to said lower clamping member; a shoe insert assembly attached to said extended clamping member for insertion into the shoe during the polishing process; and bias means for biasing said extended clamping member to exert a downward force against the inner heel portion of the shoe so the shoe remains in fixed position on said split foot plate.
 9. The shoe polishing stand of claim 5, wherein said bias means further comprises a spring incorporated into said pivotal attachment of said lower clamping member to said clamp assembly base.
 10. The shoe polishing stand of claim 8, wherein said shoe insert assembly further comprises: an L-shaped heel member having a short side and a long side, said long side having a threaded female end portion distal from said short side, said short side having an end distal from said long side, said long side having at least two spaced transverse bores in a mid-portion thereof; a toe member, said toe member having a front end and a back end; a toe connecting member attached on one end to said toe member and terminating at the opposite end in a threaded female connector; and a threaded rod connecting said threaded female end portion of said long side of said L-shaped heel member to said threaded female connector on said toe connecting member, so that said extended clamping member is positionable in one of said spaced transverse bores and rotation of said threaded rod in said threaded female end portion and said threaded female connecter on said toe connecting member adjusts the length of said shoe insert assembly in the shoe while said end on said L-shaped heel member is biased downwardly against the inner heel portion of the shoe. 